NationalWatch

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is supporting legislation that would allow state residents to sue ICE agents for violating their constitutional rights.

The governor said on Tuesday during her State of the State address that she wants to allow New Yorkers to “hold ICE agents accountable in court when they act outside the scope of their duties.”

“This doesn’t interfere with lawful enforcement or public safety,” Hochul said. “It simply affirms a core truth: Power does not justify abuse. And if someone’s constitutional rights are violated here in the state of New York, I say they deserve their day in court.”

Last year, New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Micah Lasher proposed measures to allow private citizens to file lawsuits against federal officials who violate their constitutional rights.

REP RO KHANNA DEMANDS PROSECUTION OF ICE AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

Lasher’s version cites Title 42, Section 1983 of the U.S. Code, which allows people to sue state and local officials for violating their rights. The proposal highlights that New York does not have a law in place allowing citizens to sue federal officials.

“Every day, ICE is terrorizing our communities & violating our civil rights. We must be able to hold them accountable,” Lasher, who is running for Congress, wrote on X, adding that he is glad Hochul is taking up his legislation.

Multiple states, including California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, have implemented similar laws allowing residents to sue federal officials.

Hochul also proposed other immigration guardrails, including a measure to require judicial warrants before ICE can conduct raids in sensitive locations like schools, churches and hospitals.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration reversed a Biden administration policy barring immigration arrests in these sensitive locations.

The governor also announced that New York “will not allow the use of state resources to assist in federal immigration raids on people who have not committed serious crimes.”

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin alleged in a statement to The Hill that Hochul “continues to smear law enforcement who are simply enforcing the rule of law and are putting their lives on the line to remove violent criminals from New York.”

ICE HEAD SAYS AGENTS FACING ‘CONSTANT IMPEDIMENTS’ AFTER MIGRANT SEEN RAMMING CARS WHILE TRYING TO FLEE

McLaughlin also argued that there has been an increase in threats against federal law enforcement officers who she purports have shown “incredible restraint and professionalism in exhausting all options before any kind of non-lethal force is used.”

This debate has intensified after a recent incident in Minneapoliss, where Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an enforcement action. Protests followed in multiple cities, and Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting and urged charges against the agent.

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The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident by arguing that it was a justified shooting.

Officials are also investigating a second ICE-involved shooting that happened in Minneapolis on Wednesday, as the mayor continues to demand that the agency leave the city and state.

Fresh off a successful operation in Venezuela, the U.S. is weighing its options as Iran’s leadership launches a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters — raising questions about whether similar military pressure could be applied to Tehran, Iran. 

In Caracas, Venezuela, U.S. special operators moved quickly to capture Nicolás Maduro. In Tehran, Iran, any comparable effort would unfold against a state with greater military depth and the ability to strike back well beyond its borders.

“Thinking of this as an operation, as in the case of Venezuela or the nuclear program, is the wrong framing,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. “This has to be seen as a campaign.”

Iran is a larger, more capable military power than Venezuela, with security forces designed to protect the regime from both foreign attack and internal unrest. Power is distributed across clerical institutions, security services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a structure built to survive the loss of individual leaders rather than collapse with them.

IRAN GOES DARK AS REGIME UNLEASHES FORCE, CYBER TOOLS TO CRUSH PROTESTS

“Musical chairs at the top is highly unlikely to work in Iran,” Taleblu said.

He pointed to the central role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which he described as “the tip of the spear of the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” warning that removing a single figure would leave a hardened security apparatus intact — and potentially more dangerous.

That structure is backed by a military capability Venezuela never possessed: a resilient missile force that gives Iran credible options for retaliation if it believes the regime itself is under threat.

US RAID IN VENEZUELA SIGNALS DETERRENCE TO ADVERSARIES ON THREE FRONTS, EXPERTS SAY

“The retaliatory capability of the Islamic Republic is still fairly intact, which is their missile program,” Taleblu said.

During heavy Israeli strikes in the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, Iran’s missile force was degraded but not eliminated. While air defenses and launch infrastructure were damaged, Tehran, Iran, retains a significant inventory of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and the ability to disperse and fire them from mobile launchers. 

Analysts say the conflict reinforced Iran’s reliance on missiles as its primary deterrent, even as it accepted that air defenses could be penetrated. During the war, Israel degraded Iran’s air defenses while the U.S. moved in to strike its nuclear facilities.

Iran’s armed forces also are far larger than Venezuela’s, with nearly 1 million active and reserve personnel compared with roughly 120,000 troops in Venezuela — a disparity that underscores the very different military environments U.S. planners would face.

Iran’s antagonism toward the United States is rooted in the ideology of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which cast opposition to Western influence — particularly the U.S. and Israel — as a core principle of the state. Venezuela’s clashes with Washington, by contrast, largely have been driven by political power, sanctions and control over oil revenues, rather than a revolutionary ideology aimed at opposing Western society itself.

In Venezuela, Trump administration officials framed the operation not as regime change, but as a limited action to advance U.S. interests — prosecuting Maduro on drug trafficking charges and securing leverage over the country’s oil sector. After Maduro’s capture, Trump allowed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume power on an interim basis and expressed doubt that opposition leader María Machado had sufficient internal support to govern.

In Iran, by contrast, any military action would be interpreted as a direct challenge to the regime itself.

Unlike Venezuela, where the state apparatus remained intact after Maduro’s removal, targeting Iran’s leadership risks expanding the mission from a narrow strike into a broader campaign against the regime’s security forces.

“You could conduct an attack against the leadership, including the supreme leader, but that raises lots of questions about who comes next,” Seth Jones, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former Pentagon official, told Fox News Digital.

“Is it Khamenei’s son? Is it Sadegh Larijani? Is it Hassan Khameini?” Jones said, referring to figures often discussed as potential successors. “Or do you start to look at other options?”

That uncertainty, Jones said, is what turns a leadership-targeting strike into a far broader and riskier proposition.

TRUMP SIGNALS LONG ROAD AHEAD IN VENEZUELA IN HIS BOLDEST INTERVENTIONIST MOVE YET

“The more this starts to be not just the removal of a leader, but regime change, the more it becomes an expansive targeting problem,” Jones said.

Jones added that the core challenge for U.S. planners is not whether military force could be used, but what political objective it would serve.

“The big question then becomes what’s the objective — not just militarily, but what’s the political objective in Iran and how does that translate into what types of military resources you need?” he said.

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Such an expansion, Jones warned, would raise the risk of a prolonged and destabilizing conflict in a country of Iran’s size and complexity.

“The more you start looking at regime change and using military force for that, the more messy the situation in Iran could get,” Jones said. “It’s really hard to social engineer from the outside.”

The House of Representatives passed a roughly $80 billion spending package Wednesday evening, taking a significant step toward averting a government shutdown at the end of this month.

The package combines two of Congress’ 12 annual appropriations bills in what’s called a “minibus.” It covers funding for the State Department and related national security, as well as federal financial services and general government operations.

The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 341-79 vote.

Glaring questions still remain, however, over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as progressives threaten to withhold support from any such bill unless it’s paired with significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

HOUSE PASSES NEARLY $180B FUNDING PACKAGE AFTER CONSERVATIVE REBELLION OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD FEARS

The push comes from the left in response to an ICE agent shooting 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who was driving her car when it made physical contact with a law enforcement official who then fatally shot her.

Partisan divisions have erupted over the narrative, with GOP officials like DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying the agent acted in self-defense, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have called for criminal investigations.

DHS funding was initially expected to be part of this minibus, but House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters earlier this week he would like to see the bill as part of the final package that’s also expected to include funding for the Department of War, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, the Education Department and Health and Human Services, among others.

But the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told reporters Tuesday she wanted to see DHS funding as a separate bill.

“It’s got to be by itself,” DeLauro said. “It’s got to be separate.”

CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $174B SPENDING BILL AS JAN 30 SHUTDOWN FEARS GROW

Meanwhile, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is formally threatening to oppose any DHS funding that does not change immigration enforcement policy, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., announced.

“Our caucus members will oppose all funding for immigration enforcement in any appropriation bills until meaningful reforms are enacted to end militarized policing practices. We cannot, and we should not continue to fund agencies that operate with impunity,” she told reporters.

But the bill that passed Wednesday did so with wide bipartisan support, as expected.

All federal spending bills after last year’s government shutdown are a product of bipartisan discussions between the House and Senate.

SENATE RACES TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WITH TIME TICKING AND LINGERING ISSUES

The recent package totals just over $76 billion in federal funds and is now headed to the Senate for its approval before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk.

The State Department and national security bill includes $850 million for an “America First Opportunity Fund,” aimed at giving the secretary of state funding to respond to potential unforeseen circumstances.

Both Republicans and Democrats touted different victories in the legislation, with a summary by House Appropriations Committee Republicans stating the bill supports “President Trump’s America First foreign policy by eliminating wasteful spending on DEI or woke programming, climate change mandates, and divisive gender ideologies.”

Democrats said the bill “supports women globally” by “protecting funding for bilateral family planning and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)” and pointed to $6.8 billion for a new account “that supports the activities previously funded under Development Assistance.” 

The bill also provides millions in security assistance for Israel and Taiwan, among other global partners across the world.

The latter bill provides just over $13 billion for the U.S. Treasury for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, while also including a provision that stops the IRS “from targeting individuals or groups for exercising their First Amendment rights or ideological beliefs,” according to Republicans.

It also provides $872 million for the Executive Office of the President and $9.69 billion in discretionary funding for the Federal Judiciary.

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Across the Capitol, the Senate is expected to vote on and pass the previous three-bill funding package on Thursday before leaving Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess.

Neither side appears willing to thrust the government into another shutdown, with Senate Democrats in particular viewing the package as an opportunity to fund several of their priorities. But there is a growing consensus that a short-term funding patch will be needed to allow lawmakers to finish work on the thornier DHS bill.

“Homeland is obviously the hardest one, and it’s possible that, if we can’t get agreement, that there could be some sort of CR that funds some of these bills into next year,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Still, bipartisan funding talks are still happening, a stark departure from the last government funding deadline in October. But lawmakers in the upper chamber won’t be able to tackle the two-bill package until they return toward the end of the month.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected claims of mass casualties amid a recent surge in protests within the Islamic country and blamed any killings that have taken place on an “Israeli plot” intended to create a large number of casualties. 

The claim came during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News’ “Special Report with Brett Baier” Wednesday evening, during which Araghchi was told estimates have indicated the death toll in his country could be anywhere between 2,500 to more than 12,000 protesters. But, according to the top Iranian official, the number is in the hundreds. 

“When terrorist elements led from outside, entered this, you know, protests and started to shoot, you know, police forces, police officers and security forces. And there were terrorist cells. They came in, they used Daesh-style terrorist operations. They got police officers, burned them alive, they beheaded them, and they started shooting at police officers and also to the people. So as a result, for three days, we had, in fact, fighting against terrorists, and not with the protesters,” Araghchi said. “It was completely a different story.”

FETTERMAN ‘OPEN’ TO MORE US STRIKES ON IRAN AS REGIME ‘SLAUGHTERING THOUSANDS’

According to Araghchi, these rogue, terrorist-like actors he spoke of started shooting at civilians for “one reason,” which he said was to draw the United States into the conflict. 

“They wanted to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because President Trump has said that if there are killings, he would intervene. And they wanted to drag him into this conflict,” the Iranian Foreign Minister continued. “And that was exactly an Israeli plot. They started to increase the number of deaths by killing ordinary people, by killing police officers, by starting a kind of, you know, fighting inside the different cities.”

Iran has seen widespread unrest since the last week of December, as the country faces a massive economic crash that spurred many in Iran to take to the streets in protest.

IRANIAN DISSIDENT UNLOADS ON AMERICAN LEFT’S SILENCE ON DEADLY PROTESTS 

Contrary to Araghchi’s claims are eyewitness reports that describe government forces in Iran firing upon unarmed protesters. Some even spoke of snipers taking aim at innocent Iranians, according to testimony shared with the New York Times.

During Baier’s interview with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Araghchi also insisted that there are no imminent plans to hang, or otherwise execute, protesters. The top Iranian official tried to downplay the unrest erupting in his country as well, arguing there is now “a calm.”    

“We are in full control,” Araghchi added. “And let’s, you know, hope that wisdom would prevail. And we don’t go for a high level of tension, which could be disastrous for everybody.”

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Several federal prosecutors in Minnesota were formally fired Wednesday after they gave notice that they had resigned afof internal disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a shooting investigation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The DOJ, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, terminated the employment of five prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, including Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 official there, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Their resignations and the internal disputes about the shooting probe first surfaced in The New York Times. The prosecutors were positioned to receive paid leave for months prior to their firings on Wednesday, according to the sources.

WHY THE FBI CAN EXCLUDE STATE AUTHORITIES FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTING PROBE

Thompson was spearheading a massive, high-profile investigation into welfare fraud in the state before he submitted his resignation. His exit came after he clashed with officials in Washington, D.C., over the investigation into the ICE shooting, which left 37-year-old Renee Good dead. Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota in an effort to reach Thompson for comment.

Thompson had expressed during a call with DOJ and FBI officials last week that he was on board with investigating the ICE shooting as an assault on or obstruction of a law enforcement officer, a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.

Another one of the fired prosecutors, Melinda Williams, who was also involved in the fraud work, was on the call as well, the source said.

Thompson also indicated that he believed the shooting was justified, two sources said. Prior to the shooting, he had already been discussing the possibility of resigning, the sources said.

Videos of the shooting showed an ICE agent opening fire on Good at close range after she was seen accelerating toward the agent in her vehicle while he was standing in front of it. Critics have argued that the agent improperly used deadly force against Good and that she had turned the wheels of her vehicle away from the agent before accelerating.

The FBI is investigating the incident and has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from the probe, which the Trump administration has said is justified because the incident involved a federal officer. Minnesota leaders have denounced that decision and launched their own parallel investigation.

While supportive of conducting the investigation as an offensive against law enforcement — rather than a civil rights matter against the agent — Thompson had reservations during last week’s call about the DOJ’s plan to also investigate Good’s widow and other possible co-conspirators, the source familiar with the call said.

The FBI had developed evidence that suggested Good and her spouse had at some point been following ICE officers on the day of the shooting, the source said.

That revelation echoes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s allegations during a recent press conference that Good had been “stalking and impeding” ICE throughout the day of the shooting. Noem said Good “weaponized” her vehicle and that the ICE agent who fired shots feared for his life.

In a statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Good’s spouse, Becca, said that on Jan. 7, the day of the shooting, she and Renee “stopped to support [their] neighbors.”

“We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said.

FAMILIAR PROTEST GROUPS MOBILIZE IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA PROTESTER

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats have lauded the prosecutors who resigned, framing their departures as a valiant boycott against DOJ.

“These prosecutors are heroes, and the people pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters,” Frey wrote on X.

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At this stage, there is no sign that the DOJ is planning to bring charges against Becca Good despite the DOJ and FBI pursuing an investigation into her as part of a broader probe into any conspiracies to hinder federal law enforcement operations.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.

David Spunt contributed to this report.

Following outrage from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the arrest of a city council employee, the Department of Homeland Security shared that the individual arrested is an illegal immigrant with a previous arrest for assault.

According to DHS, the employee, Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez, 53, is a “criminal illegal alien” from Venezuela. The agency said that despite Rubio Bohorquez being employed by the city council of America’s largest city, he has no work authorization and was illegally employed.

Further, DHS said that Rubio Bohorquez has a criminal history, including an arrest for assault in New York.

Rubio Bohorquez entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa in 2017, which required him to depart the same year, according to DHS.

NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE ‘VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION’ WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the fact that “a criminal illegal alien with no authorization” was employed by the New York City Council “shocking.”

“This takes sanctuary city to a whole new level,” said McLaughlin.

“This criminal illegal alien has no authority to be in the U.S. and has a previous arrest for assault. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the United States is no longer a safe haven for criminals.”

Mamdani and other city leaders demanded the man’s release on Monday.

“I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment,” Mamdani wrote in a statement on X.

DHS DEMANDS LETITIA JAMES TAKE ACTION OVER NEW YORK’S REFUSAL TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS

He called the arrest “an assault on our democracy, on our city and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.”

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin held a news conference demanding the employee’s release Monday. She claimed the employee had been cleared to remain in the U.S. until October 2026.

DHS, however, maintains that he has no authorization to even be in the U.S.

“DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained. They provided no other basis for his detainment,” Menin said during a press briefing Monday. “On the contrary, he was a city council employee who is doing everything right. He went to the court when he was asked.”

NOEM REPORTS MAMDANI, DHS TALKS HAVE ‘NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE,’ SAYS NYC MAYOR ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH ILLEGALS’

Menin said the employee works as a data analyst and has held the job for roughly one year.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James threw her weight behind calls for the employee’s release later Monday.

A spokesperson for James shared a statement from James saying, “We will not stand for attacks on our city, its public servants and its residents.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Mamdani and the New York City Council for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans successfully spiked a bipartisan attempt to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers authority after a pair of key GOP lawmakers reversed their positions. 

Republicans turned to a rarely used Senate procedure previously used by Senate Democrats in a similar situation to nullify the Venezuela war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The successful effort came after five Senate Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance the resolution last week. 

Their move drew heavy criticism and anger from Trump, who demanded that they “should never be elected to office again.” 

SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE

The resolution was tanked on a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance coming in to break a tie in favor of Trump. 

Turning to the arcane procedural move served as a victory for both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after last week’s rare defeat on the floor.  

Thune, like several other Republicans, contended that the resolution was not germane to the issues at hand in Venezuela. 

“We don’t have troops in Venezuela. There is no kinetic action, there are no operations,” Thune said. “There are no boots on the ground. And I think the question is whether or not there ought to be expedited consideration or privilege accorded to something that’s brought to the floor that doesn’t reflect what’s what is current reality in Venezuela.”

“And so I think it’s very fair for Republicans to question why we ought to be having this discussion right now, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do appropriations bills,” he continued.

TRUMP RIPS INTO GOP DEFECTORS AS ‘REAL LOSERS’ AS SENATE READIES FOR FINAL VOTE

Thune, Senate Republican leadership, Trump and several administration officials launched a pressure campaign on the five original defectors who helped Senate Democrats advance the bill. While not every lawmaker flipped, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Todd Young, R-Ind., proved the decisive votes to help kill the resolution. 

Hawley’s primary concern was whether the administration would place troops in Venezuela, but after several meetings and conversations with Trump administration officials, he was convinced that no further military action would take place. 

“To me, this is all about going forward,” Hawley said of his reversal. “If the president decides we need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, then Congress will need to weigh in.”

Young kept tight-lipped about his plan until the vote opened, and explained before walking onto the Senate floor that the deliverables and guarantees he had received from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the administration were enough for him. 

Among those were promises that if Trump did want to use force against Venezuela, he would first request authorization from Congress, and that Rubio would appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a public hearing in the coming weeks to give an update on the situation in the region.

“Those who understand how Congress works, the good and the bad and the ugly, understand that votes like this, in the end, are communications exercises,” Young said. “They’re important communications exercises, but unless you can secure sufficient votes, not only to pass the United States Senate, but to get out of the House, with which is highly questionable, right, and then to override what was an inevitable presidential veto, which is impossible. No one can tell me how we get there.” 

“I had to accept that this was all a communications exercise,” he continued. “I think we use this moment to shine a bright light on Congress’ shortcomings as it relates to war powers in recent history.”

Still, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined Senate Democrats to try and save the effort. 

Most Senate Republicans who were briefed on the matter last week argued that the strikes in Venezuela were justified and that the military was used to assist in a law enforcement operation to capture Maduro.

KAINE TELLS CONGRESS TO ‘GET ITS A– OFF THE COUCH,’ RECLAIM WAR POWERS

Rubio, in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, affirmed, “There are currently no U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela.”

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“Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148),” Rubio wrote.

Kaine, who was confident that he would have the votes, panned that move ahead of the vote.

“If people want to just say, ‘Hey, President Trump, do whatever the hell you want,’ Let them vote that way, but don’t change the rules of the Senate in a way that might disable future Senates that do have a backbone,” Kaine told reporters.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance is holding a hearing centered around various Minnesota fraud scandals and will feature testimony from Nick Shirley, a YouTuber and freelance journalist who helped uncover an organized fraud network in the state.

The hearing, “When Public Frauds are Abused: Addressing Fraud and the Theft of Taxpayer Dollars,” will be held Jan. 21, and will focus on several cases of fraud that took place in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

“I pulled up earlier today a report from last July, and they’re interviewing [Minnesota] residents,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who chairs the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital. “You can’t keep anything on your porch or in your yard because it gets stolen, you get your windows broken out of your car.

 “It seems lawless,” he added.

GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO AWARD CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL FOR JOURNALIST WHO EXPOSED MINNESOTA FRAUD

In 2022, federal officials in Minnesota launched an independent investigation into Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that prosecutors later described as a key driver of what grew into one of the largest COVID-relief fraud schemes on record.

Over the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered an estimated $250 million in fraudulent claims, leading to criminal charges against 78 individuals. Prosecutors have said the total scope of the alleged fraud connected to the operation may ultimately approach $9 billion.

The hearing will feature testimony from Shirley in addition to Jennifer Larson, CEO of the Holland Autism Center and Clinic, and former Minnesota police officer and former Minnesota fraud investigator Scott Dexter.

PAM BONDI DISPATCHES FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO MINNESOTA FOLLOWING SOMALI FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will be joining members of the subcommittee during the hearing. 

Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., will also be in attendance, and told Fox News Digital the hearing’s purpose is a matter of “transparency, accountability and safeguards that prevent this kind of abuse from happening again.”

“The scale of fraud uncovered in Minnesota is staggering, and it represents an egregious abuse of federal taxpayer dollars by criminal actors,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “The House Judiciary Committee is committed to exposing the full scope of that fraud, understanding how it was carried out, and ensuring that taxpayer funds intended to help vulnerable Americans are not diverted into the pockets of criminals.”

JD VANCE ANNOUNCES MULTI-STATE FRAUD TASK FORCE IN WAKE OF MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Tensions in Minnesota rose after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a massive operation in the state, in an attempt to locate and arrest illegal migrants who have committed crimes, as well as those who may have contributed to the fraud scandal.

A historic number of ICE agents were deployed to the state, which prompted agitators to clash with federal agents. 

Last week in south Minneapolis, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, during a federal enforcement operation after authorities said her vehicle charged toward agents on the street. 

Good’s death sparked widespread protests and unrest in the city in the days that followed.

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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as “domestic terrorism,” claiming she attempted to use her vehicle against federal officers.

DHS also revealed Wednesday that the officer who shot Good suffered internal bleeding as a result of the incident.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Democrats and Republicans are united in opposing U.S. military strikes against Iran to retaliate for the killing of protesters amid a wave of massive demonstrations against the Iranian government in recent weeks, according to a new national poll.

Seventy percent of voters questioned in a new Quinnipiac University survey said they think the U.S. should not get involved militarily in Iran, with 18% saying the U.S. should take military action.

The vast majority of Independents (80%-11%) and Democrats (79%-7%), as well as a majority of Republicans (53%-35%) said the U.S. should not get involved if protesters in Iran are killed while demonstrating against the regime.

The poll, conducted Jan. 9–12, comes as President Donald Trump has turned up the heat on the regime in Tehran, threatening strikes on Iran if its forces continue to kill demonstrators.

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The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced Tuesday that nearly 2,000 people have been killed in the protests. Other reports say the death toll is over 3,000, with the real number likely to be even higher. 

The protests against Iran’s dire economic conditions, which have rapidly escalated in recent days, are seen as some of the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed the current system of clerical rule.

IRAN REGIME FACES ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ AS EXILED CROWN PRINCE SEES ‘GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY’

Trump took to social media earlier this week, urging “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS.”

The president also said that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” and apparently pointing to Iranian authorities, he warned, “They will pay a big price.”

Pointing to the possibility of Iranian authorities executing some of the protesters, Trump said in a CBS News interview this week, “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

And the White House confirmed on Monday that Trump was weighing whether to bomb Iran in reaction to the crackdown.

But seven in 10 questioned in the poll said that, in general, a president should first receive congressional approval before deciding to take military action against another country.

SOME US MILITARY PERSONNEL TOLD TO LEAVE MIDDLE EAST BASES, US OFFICIAL CONFIRMS

“Talk of the U.S. military potentially intervening in Iran’s internal chaos gets a vigorous thumbs down, while voters signal congressional approval should be a backstop against military involvement in any foreign crisis,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

But there’s a partisan divide, with 95% of Democrats and 78% of Independents saying a president should first receive approval from Congress, but Republicans, by a 54%-35% margin, saying congressional approval is not needed.

Trump last June ordered U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, amid fighting between Tehran and Israel.

Voters are also divided on Trump’s move earlier this month to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and bring them to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges. Forty-seven percent supported the president’s decision, with 45% opposed.

And there was an expected partisan divide, with 85% of Republicans supporting the military action to capture Maduro, with 79% of Democrats opposed. Independents were divided.

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More than half of voters (57%) opposed the U.S. running Venezuela until Washington is satisfied that the government there will operate the way the U.S. wants it to. Nearly three-quarters (73%) said they opposed sending U.S. ground troops to Venezuela and 55% opposed the U.S. taking over the South American country’s oil sales.

“Voters are divided on the merits of overthrowing Maduro. And while split on whether in the long run the people of Venezuela will be better off, they strongly disapprove of America’s temporary domain over Venezuela and are heartily against putting U.S. troops on the ground,” Malloy noted.

Trump has also turned up the volume in his efforts to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,” the president argued in a social media post Wednesday.

Trump’s push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland is causing tension with Denmark and other NATO allies who insist that the semiautonomous Danish territory should determine its own future. 

Trump officials are openly considering all options, including military force, to take Greenland, spurring bipartisan opposition from some in Congress.

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According to the poll, 86% of voters said they would oppose military action to take over Greenland. And by a 55%-37% margin, voters said they opposed trying to buy Greenland.

But there’s a stark political divide, with more than two-thirds of Republicans supporting efforts to buy or capture Greenland.

A new bill introduced in Virginia would prohibit public schools in the state from describing the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as a “peaceful protest.” 

Democrat Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer of Fairfax pre-filed House Bill No. 333 ahead of the start of this year’s legislative session that began Wednesday. 

The bill, if passed, would require any public school district that wants to teach about Jan. 6 to describe the event “as an unprecedented, violent attack on United States democratic institutions, infrastructure, and representatives for the purpose of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

Meanwhile, the bill would also prohibit schools from teaching students that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, were justified due to allegations of election fraud, or from describing the incident as a “peaceful protest.”

SMITHSONIAN REPLACES TRUMP PORTRAIT DISPLAY, STRIPS JAN 6 AND IMPEACHMENT REFERENCES FROM ACCOMPANYING TEXT

Helmer’s bill would only apply to public schools, and it does not compel any schools to teach about it in the first place. However, if they do, then they would have to follow H.B. 333’s guidelines.

Fox News Digital reached out to Helmer for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.  

“The attempted violent overthrow of our elected government on January 6th, 2021, was a tragedy with no precedent in American history. Trump and MAGA Republicans across the country are trying to rewrite this history — turning traitors into patriots,” Helmer said in a press release announcing the new bill. “But Virginians remember our history. We remember the Virginia State Police and National Guard who protected our democracy as Donald Trump egged on a violent mob.” 

DEMS WHO PRAISED COP FOR KILLING J6 PROTESTER NOW CONDEMN ICE FOR SHOOTING MN AGITATOR

Helmer described the bill as an effort to “make sure that our history is protected” in Virginia. 

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In 2023, on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 capitol riot, Helmer also introduced legislation aimed at banning anyone convicted of a crime related to the riot from serving in public office. The bill never gained enough support to make it out of committee, however. 

Helmer, a Democrat who oversees Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County, also pre-filed a bill that would impose an assault weapons ban ahead of this year’s legislative session in the state.

EXCLUSIVE: Top officials in the Trump administration mocked Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the State of Illinois’ lawsuit against the Trump administration over immigration enforcement activities, calling out apparent hypocrisy in their reading of the Constitution.

Earlier this week, the City of Chicago and state of Illinois teamed up to file a federal suit challenging what they called “illegal actions” by federal immigration agents, including interrogating people on their citizenship status without basis, deploying “noxious chemicals” in public and making civil-law arrests without warrants.

A top DHS official remarked that Democrats suddenly embraced federalism, after previously seeking to grab new control of numerous aspects of Americans’ lives when they had power in Washington.

“It really is astounding that the Left can miraculously rediscover the Tenth Amendment when they don’t want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said.

DHS BLASTS CHICAGO MAYOR FOR COMPARING RAID LEADER TO SEGREGATIONISTS, ACCUSING HIM OF ‘TERROR’

“[That] is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause.”

The Tenth Amendment prescribes that any power not explicitly delegated to or prohibited by the federal government via the Constitution is a power of the individual states or to the people themselves.

“Then [they] go right back to federalizing every state responsibility possible when they get back in power: Spare us,” she said.

TRUMP ADMIN SUES ILLINOIS GOV. PRITZKER OVER LAWS SHIELDING MIGRANTS FROM COURTHOUSE ARRESTS

McLaughlin said that Chicago and Springfield should instead be honoring the lives of those lost to violence committed by illegal immigrants, citing a young woman named Katie Abraham killed in a DUI wreck by a Guatemalan national who was in the country illegally.

DHS previously dedicated Operation Midway Blitz to Abraham, who was driving to visit the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when she was struck by Julio Cucul-Bol.

Cucul-Bol initially fled the scene and later self-identified as a Mexican upon apprehension, but authorities eventually confirmed his real name, according to NPR.

ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES

“The fact is that sanctuary politicians in Illinois and Chicago released violent criminals including murderers, rapists, drug dealers, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists, onto its streets and their dereliction of duty cost lives—just ask Katie Abraham’s father,” McLaughlin said.

“This is a baseless lawsuit, and we look forward to proving that in court.”

The White House was equally defiant in the face of the suit, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson telling Fox News Digital that if Chicago leaders cared as much about protecting Americans “from criminal aliens as they did about defending the criminal illegal aliens, Chicagoans would be much better off.”

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS ORDER LIMITING IMMIGRATION AGENTS’ USE OF FORCE IN CHICAGO

Jackson called the suit by Johnson and Illinois Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul a “pathetic stunt only proves that Democrats will put illegal criminals over hardworking Americans every time.”

According to Johnson’s office, the lawsuit is challenging what the city called the feds’ “arbitrary enforcement actions at or near sensitive locations like schools and shelters.”

The case also seeks to scrutinize alleged DHS trespassing on local government-owned property and alleges the White House has implemented policies to coerce [Illinois and Chicago] to abandon their policies which value and respect immigrants, and devote their resources to further the immigration policies of the current administration.”

ICE CHIEF FIRES BACK AT ‘100% FALSE’ SANCTUARY CITY ‘HARASSMENT’ CLAIMS

Johnson called DHS’ actions “cruel” and said the Trump administration “repeatedly violated the law and undermined public trust.”

“Nobody is above the law,” the mayor added, noting the suit seeks to prevent the feds from continuing their practices.

Raoul said in a statement that Border Patrol and ICE are acting “as occupiers rather than officers of the law.”

“I filed this lawsuit to stand up for the safety of the people of Illinois and the sovereignty of our state.”

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Chicago city law department counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry added that her legal team has “compiled substantial evidence of these unlawful actions.”

“We will pursue every remedy available to safeguard the public,” Richardson-Lowry said.

As Minnesota’s Democratic officials hold press conferences, attend vigils, and publicly lash out against the Trump administration over the shooting death of Renee Good, a Fox News Digital review found a much different response from those politicians when Minnesotans were killed or seriously harmed by illegal immigrants.

“Rest in peace,” Walz posted on X this week with a photo of himself at a memorial for Good, who was shot and killed after striking an ICE agent with her car while interfering with ICE activities in Minneapolis, according to federal officials.

Walz, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have been in front of cameras on several occasions since Good’s death, blasting the Trump administration and disparaging ICE while posting tributes to Good on social media.

Several Minnesotans have been killed in the last few years by immigrants who had no legal right to be in the United States, but Fox News Digital did not find any evidence of press conferences or outrage for them from Walz, Frey or Lt. Gov. Flanagan.

JONATHAN TURLEY: ‘SAY HER NAME’ BECOMES RADICAL RALLYING CRY FOR DEMOCRATS’ MOB RULE

In August 2024, Minnesota mom Victoria Eilieen Harwell was killed in a car accident after being struck by an intoxicated Ecuadoran national in north Minneapolis without a press conference or public statement from the mayor or governor.

ICE arrested the man, German Llangari Inga, in May 2024 after they say Hennepin County refused to honor their detainer and released him twice.

St. Paul native Hallie Helgeson, 18, was killed last year along with her 19-year-old boyfriend, Brady Heiling, while driving in Wisconsin when they were struck head on by a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on the highway. The driver, according to DHS, was an intoxicated Honduran national in the country illegally. 

“Hallie was an active member of Salem Lutheran Church, where she shared her faith and joy by teaching Vacation Bible School,” Helgeson’s obituary says about her life. “Hallie’s faith played an important role in her life and every morning, she would exchange bible verses with boyfriend, Brady Heiling. She also worked as a teaching assistant at Hawk’s Nest and had recently begun a position at Meadow Creek Assisted Living.

“Hallie will be deeply missed by all who knew her, remembered for her warmth, kindness, big smile, and the light she brought into every space she entered. Her legacy will continue as a ‘Donor Hero’ by helping more than 75 people through her gift of life.”

In 2021, 55-year-old America Mafalda Thayer was brutally murdered and beheaded by her boyfriend, a Cuban national named Alexis Saborit-Viltres, after telling him she wanted to end their relationship. 

“She was always in an upbeat mood,” Thayer’s friend and former co-worker Eileen Necklen told the Minnesota Star Tribune.  “She was just a spitfire … an unbelievable person.”

DOJ SAYS ‘NO BASIS’ FOR CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION INTO MINNEAPOLIS ICE OFFICER KILLING

In addition to the high-profile deaths caused by illegal immigrants, other Minnesotans have been seriously harmed with little if any response from Democrat leaders, including a St. Paul landlord who was brutally raped by Mexican national Rolando Lopez-Meneses in 2021 after she refused to let his girlfriend move in with her, TwinCities.com reported.

“Governor Walz, Lt. Gov Flanagan and the rest of the Minnesota DFL leaders have forgotten what it means to be an American or a Minnesotan,” Adam Schwarze, former Navy SEAL and GOP U.S. Senate Candidate in Minnesota told Fox News Digital. 

“Where is the outrage for our innocent citizens killed by criminals? Where is their press conference, their candlelight vigil. Enough is enough. We need new leadership.”  

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz, Frey, and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan inquiring if their offices could point to an example of publicly mourning a Minnesotan killed or harmed by illegal immigrants but did not receive a response.

“This isn’t leadership — it’s selective outrage designed to change the subject from the billions lost to fraud on their watch,” retired Minnesota State Patrol Lieutenant John Nagel, who is running for Congress as a Republican against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital. 

“Minnesota Democrats decide which victims matter based on politics and optics, not on equal application of the law. When a tragedy fits their narrative, we get press conferences and performative vigils. When Minnesotans are killed in situations tied to their failed federal immigration policy, we hear almost nothing — no urgency, no accountability, just silence and deflection.”

CRITICS WARN MINNESOTA LEGISLATION NOW TAKING EFFECT IS SETTING UP THE ‘NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD’

ICE officials on Saturday released a shocking list of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants arrested during their recent surge in the sanctuary state of Minnesota, including child rapists and nearly a dozen killers.

“Governor Walz and Mayor Frey REFUSE to cooperate with ICE law enforcement and have released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens including violent criminals back onto the streets of Minnesota,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.

“They have made it abundantly clear they are prioritizing politics over public safety. Minnesota’s sanctuary politicians have chosen to side with criminal illegal aliens and ignored their American victims. This administration is putting the safety of Americans first and standing up for the victims of illegal alien crime. Secretary Noem relaunched the VOICE office to give victims and their families access to resources and support services. We will always put the American people first.” 

Frey was asked about Harwell in an interview with Fox & Friends on Wednesday and responded by reiterating his belief that ICE is overstepping its bounds in the city without specifically mentioning Harwell. 

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“While they claim to act out of compassion for migrants, sanctuary politicians like Tim Walz, Jacob Frey and Peggy Flanagan end up prioritizing the rights of illegal aliens over American citizens,” Dale Wilcox, executive director and general counsel at Federation for American Immigration Reform told Fox News Digital. 

“Thousands of innocent Americans have lost their lives because of criminal aliens, yet sanctuary politicians are heartless to the suffering of their families. America needs leaders who put the interests of Americans first.” 

Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, whose Trump administration ambassador nomination was withdrawn last year, died Monday at 59.

“It is with profound sorrow that the Brnovich family announces the passing of Mark Brnovich. Best known as Arizona’s 26th Attorney General, a state and federal prosecutor, and champion of justice, he will forever be remembered and cherished by us as a beloved father, husband, son, and brother,” a representative of the family said in a statement to ABC15.

“We are heartbroken with this loss and are deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support from so many wonderful people across the state and country. The family asks for privacy during this difficult time. Memorial service arrangements will be made public as they become available.”

FORMER GOP SEN. JON KYL ANNOUNCES DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS, STEPS AWAY FROM PUBLIC LIFE

Katie Conner, a former press secretary to Brnovich, told The Associated Press he died of a heart attack.

Brnovich was nominated by President Donald Trump in March to become the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia. 

His nomination was later withdrawn in October.

FLORIDA SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER WITHDRAWS AS TRUMP’S NOMINEE TO LEAD DEA

He previously ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and served as Arizona attorney general for eight years.

Brnovich was remembered by several state officials and senators for his long career in public service.

ARIZONA AG BRNOVICH URGES BIDEN TO REVERSE REPORTED TITLE 42 REPEAL AFTER BORDER NUMBERS RISE AGAIN

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“Angela’s and my deepest prayers and condolences are with Susan and the entire Brnovich family. It was an honor to campaign with and serve alongside Mark Brnovich. His passion for the law, justice, and victims were hallmarks of his career in public service,” said former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. “For those of us blessed to call him a friend, his humor, positivity, and happy warrior spirit were infectious. May he rest in peace.”

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., also paid his respects to Brnovich and his family, saying he was praying for his wife Susan and their two daughters.

As House Oversight Democrats denounced a hearing on Minnesota’s sprawling fraud scandal as politically motivated, Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., took it further — calling the investigation “partisan and racist.” 

But back in California, state auditors have repeatedly flagged major programs as “high-risk” for waste and improper payments, raising fresh questions about whether Min is dismissing scrutiny he wouldn’t want aimed at his own state.

During a House Oversight Hearing earlier this month on the fraud issues in Minnesota, Min said, “We have not seen evidence of any type of fraud on the scale we’re talking about” in California. Min added during the hearing that he had concerns about the ongoing fraud in Minnesota, which has included a significant portion of Somali immigrant perpetrators, but said he had issues with the probe because it appeared Trump was only targeting Democrat-led states, and not Republican-led states as well. 

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR JACOB FREY ADMITS FRAUD CRISIS IS REAL, SAYS ‘EVERYBODY COULD HAVE DONE MORE’ TO PREVENT IT

“I have concerns about this hearing as well as recent actions by the Trump administration. It’s hard for me not to look at this hearing in the context in which it’s taking place and not see this as a partisan and racist hearing,” Min complained.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on these accusations from Min but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

“Democrats will do anything to deflect from the fraud that has been allowed to run rampant on their watch, including playing the race card,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said. “First, it’s not racist to call out criminal behavior. Second, I wonder what Congressman Min’s constituents have to say about him not taking fraud seriously when California taxpayers are also being robbed blind to the tune of $72 billion.”

A report released by the California State Auditor’s office last month found several state agencies wasted or misused millions, which follows other audits showing many billions being lost to waste, fraud and abuse in the state, according to California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton.

MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL SPARKS PUSH TO SCRUTINIZE BILLIONS IN BIDEN-ERA ENERGY GRANTS

“It’s totally ridiculous,” Hilton told Fox News Digital of Min’s comments that there is no evidence of California fraud. “We’ve already seen state auditor reports that have characterized tens-of-billions-of-dollars as being improperly spent, starting from the audit of state homelessness spending.”

According to Hilton, there are criminal prosecutions ongoing in California pertaining to homelessness spending by officials.

Meanwhile, seven state agencies in California have been denoted as “high-risk” for fraud, waste and abuse by the State Auditor’s office, while an extra agency was also added to the list of vulnerable programs that is regularly kept.  

“Vulnerable Democrat Dave Min is more outraged by an oversight hearing than the billions in fraud hurting Americans in Minnesota and California,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez. “For Min, accountability isn’t a principle, it’s a problem.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Min for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. intelligence officials prevented more than 10,000 individuals with ties to narcoterrorism from entering the country in 2025, and placed more than 85,000 similarly-tied individuals on the terror watchlist, Fox News Digital has learned.

Officials told Fox News Digital that intelligence was collected and passed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to law enforcement partners in the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to block their access to the United States.

DNI GABBARD WARNS ‘ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY’ THREATENS WESTERN FREEDOM

“President Trump gave the order to secure the homeland, and ODNI’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) delivered,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News Digital. “In 2025, intelligence shared by our team to federal, state and local partners stopped more than 10,000 persons with connections to terrorism from accessing our country.”

Gabbard told Fox News Digital that “thousands of successful actions against cartels and gangs are driven by intelligence from the National Counterterrorism Center, whose integrated intelligence, analysis, and timely response to terrorist threats have directly led to the apprehension and removal of thousands of criminals from U.S. soil.”

“Thanks to President Trump for his commitment to securing our nation, and thanks to the men and women of NCTC for their vigilance and dedication to keeping the American people safe,” Gabbard said.

TULSI GABBARD WARNS OF ‘DIRECT THREAT’ FROM SUSPECTED TERRORISTS NOW LIVING IN UNITED STATES

A senior counterterrorism official told Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump’s move to designate cartels as terrorist organizations allowed counterterrorism officials to “leverage the tools of the intelligence community.”

The official said that as a result of the intelligence provided by the National Counterterrorism Center, more than 10,000 terror-linked cartel or gang members were denied access to the U.S. in 2025.

“Denied access” can come in the form of visa revocations, arrests, deportations or investigations, according to the official. 

The National Counterterrorism Center also added more than 85,000 new identities to the terrorist database, which directly informs the FBI’s Terror Watchlist and is shared with local law enforcement across the country.

MADURO’S CAPTURE IS ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ FOR CUBA’S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS

“Had we had a capability like this pre-9/11, the hijackers wouldn’t have been able to come into our country in the first place,” the official told Fox News Digital. “We have denied 10,000 narcoterrorists from coming into the country — from every setting foot in America— which is a huge success.”

The official said those career officials working in the National Counterterrorism Center said that the previous administration allowed these individuals to “come back and forth between Mexico, South America, and more as they pleased, with impunity.” 

“But because of watchlisting work and designation, these 10,000 have been denied access, and another 85,000 have been put on the watchlist. These people will also be denied access,” the official said. “Cartels prior to the Trump administration were killing 100,000 Americans per year due to fentanyl alone, so taking them off the playing field is saving American lives.”

The official said that under the Biden administration, officials would need to “wait for the individuals to come into the country and then commit another crime.”

ICE AGENTS REPORT ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ 3,200% SURGE IN CAR ATTACKS LAST YEAR

Meanwhile, the official told Fox News Digital that “traditional terrorists” are “still very much a threat.”

“The tragic thing is that after 9/11, NCTC developed a comprehensive set of tools to block traditional terrorists from coming into the country,” the official said. “The Biden administration did not use those tools. And it is still a threat because the border was wide open for 4 years.”

But the official said that the Trump administration has seen “less than 5 traditional terrorists” attempting to access the United States. The official said those individuals avoided the Southern Border, and instead attempted entry through commercial airlines, but were denied.

“Don’t even try,” the official said.

The official told Fox News Digital that the National Counterterrorism Center stays focused on terror related to cartels and gangs, al-Qaeda, Iranian networks and ISIS.

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“We also have gotten the inclusion of Antifa as a terrorist organization,” the official said. “We are looking at foreign ties to that organization as well.” 

The official said those inquiries into Antifa are ongoing. 

Hillary and Bill Clinton are both now risking possible criminal charges after defying subpoenas to appear before the House Oversight Committee.

Hillary Clinton was compelled to sit for a sworn deposition behind closed doors on Wednesday morning as part of the House’s bipartisan probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

However, the former Secretary of State refused to appear, and the House Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings, a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

She was expected to skip the meeting, after her and former President Bill Clinton’s attorneys wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., arguing the subpoenas were not legally enforceable.

TOP GOP CHAIR ISSUES STARK WARNING TO CLINTONS IF THEY DEFY DEPOSITIONS IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION

A committee aide said earlier that the committee would initiate contempt of Congress proceedings “in the coming days” if she did not appear. Comer is already moving forward with contempt proceedings against Bill Clinton.

The lawyers’ letter argued Comer’s subpoenas were “invalid and legally unenforceable, untethered to a valid legislative purpose, unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information, and an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.”

It also compared Comer’s leadership of the probe to Joseph McCarthy’s 1950s-era abuse of congressional power, while pointing out that President Donald Trump has publicly called for the federal government to look into Bill Clinton’s Epstein ties.

“Mindful of these defects, we trust you will engage in good faith to de-escalate this dispute,” the letter said.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUBPOENA LES WEXNER, 2 OTHERS IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION

Comer told reporters Tuesday that he read the letter but suggested his probe would be undeterred.

The former president similarly skipped his own scheduled deposition on Tuesday, prompting Comer to say his panel would move ahead with advancing a contempt of Congress resolution against him next week.

Such resolutions need to advance through the relevant committees before being considered in a House-wide vote.

HILLARY CLINTON EXPECTED TO DEFY EPSTEIN PROBE SUBPOENA, RISKING CRIMINAL CHARGES

It’s then up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on whether to pursue the resulting criminal referral if a majority of House lawmakers vote to make it.

Contempt of Congress charges are a misdemeanor that carry up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $100,000.

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Former Trump advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were notably charged and convicted of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas by the now-defunct select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

The former first couple were two of 10 people subpoenaed by Comer as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoenas were issued following a bipartisan vote by an Oversight subcommittee panel during an unrelated hearing on illegal immigration.

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is pausing all visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge. 

A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures. 

The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more. 

The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN

Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a sweeping fraud scandal centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered massive abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans. 

In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law. 

The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.

Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.

 “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement. 

“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REVOKES MORE THAN 100,000 VISAS IN FIRST YEAR BACK

While the public charge provision has existed for decades, enforcement has varied widely across administrations, with consular officers historically given broad discretion in applying the standard.

Exceptions to the new pause will be “very limited” and only allowed after an applicant has cleared public charge considerations.

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A 2022 version of the public charge rule under the Biden administration had limited the scope of benefits considered — primarily to cash assistance and long-term institutional care — excluding programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, Medicaid or housing vouchers.

The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted consular officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds, but President Donald Trump in 2019 expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in court, with portions ultimately blocked before being rescinded by the Biden administration.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is reportedly the subject of a federal investigation following a controversial video in which she and several other lawmakers encouraged service members to “refuse illegal orders.”

The senator told The New York Times that she discovered the probe was launched by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro’s office. 

The Times reported that Pirro’s office sent an email to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms requesting an interview with Slotkin or her private counsel. Slotkin reportedly described the probe to the Times as an effort by an authoritarian president to use the federal government as a tool of intimidation.

“Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.”

ARIZONA SEN. KELLY SUES HEGSETH OVER MILITARY PENSION CUTS FOLLOWING VIDEO MESSAGE

The controversial video, which was posted in November, featured several lawmakers, including Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. All the Democrats who participated in the video, which was slammed as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, had military and intelligence backgrounds.

Trump slammed the video and said in multiple Truth Social posts that the lawmakers who participated in it had engaged in “seditious behavior.”

“It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET,” the president wrote on Nov. 20.

SEN BLACKBURN FIRES BACK AT DEMOCRATS OVER ‘DISTURBING’ VIDEO URGING TROOPS TO DEFY ‘ILLEGAL’ ORDERS

The same day, Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” The statement caused an uproar with many slamming what they perceived to be a threat from the president.

The video was released amid a nationwide debate about Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to various cities across the country.

Slotkin, a former CIA officer who served in Iraq, is the latest lawmaker who participated in the video to face an investigation.

HEGSETH MOVES TO CENSURE SEN. MARK KELLY, REVIEW HIS RETIREMENT RANK AND PAY OVER ‘SEDITIOUS VIDEO’

Kelly, who is a retired Navy captain and astronaut, sued the War Department and Hegseth over the department’s actions to demote him and cut his retirement pay over the video. The senator’s lawsuit said the Trump administration’s actions “trample on protections the Constitution singles out as essential to legislative independence.”

“It appears that never in our nation’s history has the Executive Branch imposed military sanctions on a Member of Congress for engaging in disfavored political speech,” the lawsuit states.

The Pentagon’s actions “violate numerous constitutional guarantees and have no basis in statute,” the lawsuit adds.

A War Department official told Fox News Digital that the agency was aware of the lawsuit.

“However, as a matter of policy, the Department does not comment on ongoing litigation,” the official said.

Hegseth previously moved to censure Kelly, saying earlier this month that he directed Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to review the retired Navy captain’s retirement rank and pay and provide a recommendation in 45 days, sharply escalating an investigation alleging he made “seditious statements” that undermined military operations.

In a statement posted to X, Kelly said the “unconstitutional crusade” against him “sends a chilling message to every retired member of the military: if you speak out and say something that the President or Secretary of Defense doesn’t like, you will be censured, threatened with demotion, or even prosecuted.”

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Slotkin and Pirro’s offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu and Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, but she’s expected to ignore the order, potentially risking criminal charges.

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to be deposed behind closed doors at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and it appears the GOP-led committee will move forward with holding the interview in some form regardless of whether she attends.

Hillary and Bill Clinton’s lawyers sent a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this week, calling their subpoenas “invalid and legally unenforceable.”

But Comer previously threatened to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against both Clintons if they skipped their January deposition dates, which were rescheduled twice prior, amid conversations with their attorneys.

TOP GOP CHAIR ISSUES STARK WARNING TO CLINTONS IF THEY DEFY DEPOSITIONS IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION

Bill Clinton defied his own subpoena on Tuesday, failing to appear for a 10 a.m. closed-door deposition. 

Comer told reporters afterward that the House Oversight Committee would meet next week to advance a contempt resolution against the former president in response.

When Fox News Digital asked if the same would happen to Hillary Clinton if she failed to appear the next day, Comer said, “We’ll see. We’ll talk about it.”

REPUBLICAN HOUSE LEADER SIGNALS PLAN TO BEGIN CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON

The former first couple were two of 10 people subpoenaed by Comer as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The subpoenas were issued following a bipartisan vote by an Oversight subcommittee panel during an unrelated hearing on illegal immigration.

Despite that, however, no Democrats appeared for Bill Clinton’s expected grilling.

“Not a single Democrat showed up today, not a single Democrat,” Comer told reporters. “It just seems like they only care about pushing Republicans. And we’ve had a former Trump Cabinet secretary, Alex Acosta, in for a grilling. We had Bill Barr, former attorney general, in for a grilling. But for whatever reason, President Clinton didn’t show up. And the Democrats on the committee don’t seem to have a problem.”

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The Clintons’ attorneys criticized Comer’s leadership of the investigation in their letter, discounting the subpoenas.

“President and Secretary Clinton have already provided the limited information they possess about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the Committee,” the lawyers said.

“Your continued insistence that the former President and Secretary of State can be compelled to appear before the Committee under these circumstances, however, brings us toward a protracted and unnecessary legal confrontation that distracts from the principal work of the Congress with respect to this matter, which, if conducted sincerely, could help ensure the victims of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell are afforded some measure of justice for the crimes perpetrated against them, however late. But perhaps distraction is the point.”

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Comer said after Bill Clinton skipped his deposition, “No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing. We just have questions. And that’s why the Democrats voted, along with Republicans, to subpoena Bill Clinton.”

The House Oversight Committee would need to advance a contempt resolution before it’s considered by the entire chamber. If a simple majority votes to hold someone in contempt of Congress, a criminal referral is then traditionally made to the Department of Justice.

A criminal contempt of Congress charge is a misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a maximum $100,000 fine, if convicted.

President Donald Trump is setting the stage for the U.S. to be involved in overseeing Venezuela for a significant period of time, after conducting strikes and capturing dictator Nicolás Maduro and labeling himself “acting” president of Venezuela. 

The move marks his boldest interventionist move yet — a foreign policy approach by which one country intervenes in another state’s affairs — and follows other major military operations from the Trump administration, including strikes in Syria in December 2025 against Islamic State operatives after an ambush against U.S. troops there, and strikes in June 2025 against the Iranian nuclear sites of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump told The New York Times in an interview that was published Wednesday that “only time will tell” how long the U.S. will be running Venezuela, but said it would be “much longer” than a year. 

Additionally, Trump announced recently that Venezuela’s interim government would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. and that the oil would be sold “immediately.”

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“We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”

Likewise, Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026. 

Previous interventionist actions the U.S. has taken include launching an invasion of Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda conducted against the U.S., and an invasion of Iraq in 2003 that led to the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime. In both cases, the U.S. remained in prolonged occupations there. 

The language the Trump administration is using now focusing on illegal migration is different than what was used during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, which focused on democracy-building and promoting freedom, Katherine Thompson, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital. 

US RAID IN VENEZUELA SIGNALS DETERRENCE TO ADVERSARIES ON THREE FRONTS, EXPERTS SAY

“But the pathway to achieve those things, I don’t see, like, a broad differentiation from the things that we did before,” Thompson told Fox News Digital. 

Thompson said that she doesn’t see how the Trump administration’s goals could be completed without small rotational deployments from U.S. forces to provide security, particularly in the event that the U.S. reopens its Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. 

“I don’t see how we’re going to have a team there without at least some small deployment of rotational forces to achieve security of our own personnel,” Thompson said.

So far, no U.S. troops are on the ground in Venezuela, and the Senate advanced a War Powers resolution Thursday that, if passed, would bar using U.S. forces within or against Venezuela without Congress’ approval. 

TRUMP ADMIN SAYS MADURO CAPTURE REINFORCES ALIEN ENEMIES ACT REMOVALS

When asked by Fox News Digital about whether Trump’s “Acting President of Venezuela” post was shared jokingly and what it indicates about how long the U.S. will be involved in running Venezuela, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital: “President Trump will be the greatest President for the American and Venezuelan people in history. Congratulations, world!”

Although Trump has blasted previous administrations for actions in the Middle East and vowed he would bring an end to “endless wars” while ushering in an “America First” agenda prioritizing U.S. interests, Democrats warned that the U.S. may be involving itself in another complicated conflict. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claimed that the U.S. is on the path to another “endless war.”

“The very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against over and over and over again was no more endless wars,” Schumer said in an interview with ABC News Jan. 4. “And, right now, we’re headed right into one with no barriers, with no discussion.” 

SEN JEAN SHAHEEN: MADURO IS GONE, BUT THE SAME POWER STRUCTURES REMAIN IN VENEZUELA

Trump announced on Jan. 3 that U.S. special forces conducted a “large-scale strike” against Caracas, and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were taken to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 on drug charges, where they each pleaded not guilty.

The raid came after months of pressure on Venezuela and more than two dozen strikes in Latin American waters against alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

The Trump administration routinely stated that it did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and said he was the leader of a drug cartel. Likewise, Trump said in December 2025 he believed it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down. 

The Trump administration has justified seizing Maduro as a “law enforcement” operation, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said congressional approval wasn’t necessary since the operation didn’t amount to an “invasion.”

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However, lawmakers primarily on the left have questioned the legality of the operation in Venezuela, which was conducted without Congress’ approval.

“This has been a profound constitutional failure,” the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement Jan. 3. “Congress — not the President — has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power.”